Key Obama appointee Sepulveda forced to step down over spending $6.1 million taxpayer dollars on lavish conferences

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10/1/12, "Official resigns after report finds VA spent $6.1M on lavish conferences," The Hill, J. Yager

"The head of Human Resources for the Veterans Affairs Department resigned after an inspector general’s (IG) report found that the agency spent $6.1 million on two weeklong conferences.

The 142-page IG report investigated about $762,000 in “unauthorized, unnecessary, and/or wasteful expenses” during two conferences held in Orlando, Fla., that included $49,516 to produce a parody video of the late-Gen. George S. Patton.

Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration John Sepúlveda stepped down on Sunday following the release of the report, which determined that he “abdicated his responsibilities” by not properly overseeing the conferences.... 

The conferences were held in 2011 for about 1,800 VA employees “to fulfill valid training needs,” according to the report. But the VA’s top leadership “failed to provide proper oversight,” which allowed lower-level senior officials to spend $280,698 on an excessive contract with a Marriott Hotel for audio-visual services, catering, food and drinks....

Citing the Privacy Act, the agency said it was not able to release more specifics.

Five months ago, Congress blasted the General Services Administration for holding a lavish $823,000 conference in Las Vegas in 2010." via Lucianne

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March 31, 2009, "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts," The White House


"John U. Sepúlveda, Assistant Secretary of Human Resources, Department of Veterans Affairs"...

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4/17/12, "GSA failed to halt exec's taxpayer-funded junkets," Washington Examiner, S. Ferrechio. 



Neely's supervisor was told to stop his behavior but didn't.

"General Services Administration officials permitted a high-ranking employee to spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on lavish travel junkets, despite an inspector general's dire warning about the executive's pattern of waste, fraud and abuse, officials said Tuesday."...(photo Wash. Examiner)

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